It was a deflating loss for the Blue Demons, especially after losing senior forward Keisha Hampton for the season earlier this month because of a knee injury.

“We made some pretty ill-advised decisions when we were in the game that really were costly,” DePaul coach Doug Bruno said.

The Blue Demons (15-4, 3-2 Big East) committed 23 turnovers. Junior guard Anna Martin had eight turnovers, but the reigning Big East Player of the Week also scored 23 points and shot 4 for 9 from 3-point range. She also had six rebounds and three assists. Megan Rogowski added 11 points for DePaul.

“We have to make a lot of better decisions, and that’s everybody including myself,” Martin said. “And we have to make stops. We didn’t make stops. And rebounding, and really everything. I just thought our decision-making and defense was not as good as it could have been.”

It was a confidence boost for the Bulls, who have dropped two games to ranked opponents on the road during a stretch in which USF plays four ranked teams in five games — including No. 7 Rutgers on Saturday.

USF stayed within striking distance on a night that saw five ties and six lead changes. It was sophomore Akila McDonald’s layup with 9 seconds remaining in regulation that tied the game at 60 and forced overtime.

Orekhova, who opened the first- and second-half scoring with 3-pointers, got things started in overtime with a layup to put the Bulls up 62-60. McDonald converted two free throws after drawing a foul by Katherine Harry to make it 64-60. A Wynne layup at the 1:34 mark extended the Bulls’ lead to 66-60.

Martin nailed a 3 with 39 seconds left in overtime, but that was all the offense DePaul could muster. It won’t get any easier for the Blue Demons, as they host No. 3 Connecticut on Saturday.